My favorite Criminal Minds story was the one where they guy in the truck was running people over, and they made it really easy for him by, for example, running down the middle of the street, or in the parking garage scene, not going up on to a car, or into the stairwell, but conveniently running down the middle of the garage to the elevator, where he was smushed.

I haven't had time to read a book lately. (except what I'm reading for the 19843 time with my students. Hello, Animal Farm!)

Shemar Moore is one of things I like the least about Criminal Minds. Sure, he's pretty, but I can't stand his character.

Amazon has a bunch of Kindle books available for $3.99 or less. I think they're available all month. Some of the more interesting looking ones are Molly Ringwald's first book, American Gods by Neil Gaiman, Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates, The Sisters Brothers and Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk.

Barnes and Noble is offering the Nook edition of End this Depression Now by Paul Krugman for $3.99, today only. I think I may buy this one.

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Originally Posted by rfisher
All my fellow Potter fans need to read Ben Aaronovitch's Midnight Riot. To quote one reviewer, "Midnight Riot is what would happen if Harry Potter grew up and joined the fuzz. A hilarous, keenly imagined caper."

I checked this book out from the library, and couldn't get into it at all. Other than the aspect of someone learning they are a wizard and then getting trained, the two books really aren't that similar. The main character was kinda boring, and his relationships with his mentor and Lisa were never really believable.

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I too read it on rfisher's recommendation. I don't think rfisher likes us very much.

I'll probably read the second one, because there were some ideas in the first one I liked, and writing improves. I was glad I slogged through the first of the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning; the rest of the series more than made up for it. Sometimes urban fantasy just needs time to develop. And I know it's not a new trend, but I hate the whole, oh they have on small detail in common! They must be alike! For a while, every book was like The da Vinci Code, then Stephanie Plum, then Harry Potter, then Twilight, and in a few months, we'll see every new mystery with a psychotic TWIST compared to Gone Girl.

Currently, I'm re-reading the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. I just finished her first full-length novel spin-off, and I, umm, had to re-read the rest of them. For the details. Not for slightly unhinged and very sexy warelions. Nuh-uh.

On deck: Jepp, Who Defied the Stars (October 9). It's such an amazing title. And it has a dwarf, so what could possibly go wrong? *famous last words*

I finished "Bright Hair About the Bone" - finally - and while the story was decent, I can't reccommend it, mainly because of the style of writing - long descriptions interperse with long, preachy dialogue, with none of the characters ever fully developed enough to explain their actions. It's up on the book swap site already and I have no desire to look for the next volume in the series.

So I grabbed the top book off the pile of cheapo historicals I collected at the church yard sale: Regina Scott's "An Honorable Gentleman" thinking that a fluffy Regency might be just the thing to lighten my brain on a rainy evening. Unfortunately, I failed to note that the book comes from a line called "Love Inspired Historicals" - which basically seems to mean that every three pages one or the other main character inserts a fervent prayer that the other main character will submit to the wisdom and guidence of God - and do what the pleader is asking. Oh, and there's a mysterious statue of The Good Shepherd levitating around the Hall and appearing to chastise the Gentleman whenever he gets to thinking about deserting Those Who Need Him. I'm not impressed but it reads fast. It's be up for swap by Saturday, I'm sure.

So I grabbed the top book off the pile of cheapo historicals I collected at the church yard sale: Regina Scott's "An Honorable Gentleman" thinking that a fluffy Regency might be just the thing to lighten my brain on a rainy evening. Unfortunately, I failed to note that the book comes from a line called "Love Inspired Historicals" - which basically seems to mean that every three pages one or the other main character inserts a fervent prayer that the other main character will submit to the wisdom and guidence of God - and do what the pleader is asking. Oh, and there's a mysterious statue of The Good Shepherd levitating around the Hall and appearing to chastise the Gentleman whenever he gets to thinking about deserting Those Who Need Him. I'm not impressed but it reads fast. It's be up for swap by Saturday, I'm sure.

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Well, yes, Harlequin's Love Inspired lines are, as the name implies, inspirational romances, so there will be a fair amount of religious (Christian) content. I read an inspy a few months back (not from that line) and it's not my thing, either, though I have read some very good romances in which religion and faith were an important part of the story; Flowers from the Storm comes to mind.

The most recent romance I read was the latest by Sherry Thomas - who is, as always, brilliant. But right now I'm looking for a non-romance, I need a quick break from the genre.

Well, yes, Harlequin's Love Inspired lines are, as the name implies, inspirational romances, so there will be a fair amount of religious (Christian) content. I read an inspy a few months back (not from that line) and it's not my thing, either, though I have read some very good romances in which religion and faith were an important part of the story; Flowers from the Storm comes to mind.

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The only thing all the praying is inspiring me to do is to slap the silly twit upside the head. I can sort of understand the girl raising her eyes to heaven fairly often because she's supposed to be a devoted churchgoer but when the Gentleman, who admits to only setting foot in a church a very few times in his entire life and then only when forced to, suddenly begins quoting obscue passages of Scripture to himself, I get annoyed with the author's heavyhandedness. The moving Statue is also a bit much.

The only thing all the praying is inspiring me to do is to slap the silly twit upside the head. I can sort of understand the girl raising her eyes to heaven fairly often because she's supposed to be a devoted churchgoer but when the Gentleman, who admits to only setting footin a church a very few times in his entire life and then only when forced to, suddenly begins quoting obscue passages of Scripture to himself, I get annoyed with the author's heavyhandedness. The moving Statue is also a bit much.

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Yeah, I don't think either of us is the target audience for these... But clearly some people are, or there wouldn't be Amish romances or a Love Inspired Suspense line (so that you can read about "strong heroes and heroines whose faith is central in solving mysteries and saving lives").

There's a Courtney Milan book in which the courtesan heroine can quote scripture, but there's a good reason for it. And no moving statues that I can recall.

John Sanford's latest Virgil Flowers (Mad River) is out. I lurve me some Virgil. I like the Lucas Davenport books, but Lucas is too slick and smooth. Bad, thing is I have things I really need to be doing and sitting down and reading this entire book today isn't one of them. Bad me. I should have waited about buying it, but, well, I didn't.

Have you read (or listened to) Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy. From interviews with Arthur Schlesinger in 1964, it's an amazingly candid oral history of her life with the president. And the book comes with CDs of the actual interviews, very cool.

I'm winding up Rumour of Heaven which up to now has reminded me Mary Webb's novels (albeit w/o the Shropshire dialect) - rather odd characters in a beautifully described rural setting. In the last few pages the plot has suddenly veered off into melodrama. The plot was a bit strange to begin with but in these last 30pp it really jumped the shark.

I have a question that's rather medical in nature and one Dr. IA wasn't able to answer:

JFK suffered from debilitating back pain, has had 2 fusion surgeries and required long periods of bed rest and occasionally walked on crutches. He was possibly addicted to painkillers. He also had Addison's which may decrease sex drive. I am not sure if replacement synthetic androgens were available at the time.

So with all of this, how in the world was he able to have all this sex? Just thought I'd throw this out there. Perhaps someone knows more about Addison's?

ETA: uh oh, looks like Ms. Bradford failed to do due diligence. She mentions the history of Jackie's sunburst diamond pin and then goes on to mention other historic bling, specifically that Jackie had promised to the French minister of culture a loan of the Hope diamond for an exhibit in Paris in exchange for the Mona Lisa exhibit in the US. Then Ms. Bradford states that the Smithsonian had refused Jackie's request. And yet on the SI website it says that the Hope diamond was indeed exhibited in Paris in 1962. Tut tut.

I finished "Where'd You Go, Bernadette", which is written as a series of e-mails, letters, notes etc by the characters as put together by title character's young daughter to explain her mother's disappearance. It started off as pretty funny, but not so deep, and I was surprised at how emotional and layered it was at the end. The author, Maria Semple, used to write for shows like Mad About You and Arrested Development. I liked it a lot.

In case anyone else is a giant dork like me, Caroline B. Cooney is writing a 5th Janie (from "The Face on the Milk Carton" fame) book, called Janie Face To Face and I am ridiculously excited to read this

In case anyone else is a giant dork like me, Caroline B. Cooney is writing a 5th Janie (from "The Face on the Milk Carton" fame) book, called Janie Face To Face and I am ridiculously excited to read this

To remove the cloying aftertaste of inspirational dreck, I started Rachel Caine's "Two Weeks' Notice." It's the second in her "Rivivalist" urban fantasy series, following "Working Stiff," about a young woman who has died and been revived and is additcted to the (illegal) drug that keeps her alive. There's government conspiracy, evil drug company, kidnapped relative, mayhem and death galore and it's pretty well written for the genre. I like Rachel Caine's other series.

At kleast the characters aren't praying all the time, although they certainly have more reason for doing so than the ones in the last book.

Finally finished Rumour of Heaven. Rather poetic descriptions of rural England, a few fully-realized characters, a somewhat strange and ultimately unconvincing plot. I don't recommend it, although I suspect that Beatrix Lehmann could have written a very good family memoir or a memoir of her career in theater. But fiction was not her thing. Read sister Rosamond Lehmann's novels instead.

I am loving Ken Follet's Century Trilogy. I am reading book 2, Winter of the World. I Like it much more than his Pillars of the Earth novel although I do believe most are of the opposite opinion. But I am such a softie for anything that involves WW2 there was no way I was not going to read this series. I always wanted to read a realistic novel from WW2 that involved characters from all sides of the war. But I have read criticisms the call many of the characters as absolutely either good or evil with no in between. For sure the author has a huge love of England's Labour Party and an intense hatred of communism. He also do not have a very high opinion of the British conservatives. It is too easy to find his own personal political opinions in this book but I honestly do not mind, because it was not as if Stalinist Russia was a picnic or that Labour don't have a lot to be proud of. Too besides this book has two things in it's favour; firstly it involves WW2 and 2nd there are no vampires or werewolves!!!